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Evaluation of Partial Flow Dilution Systems for Very Low PM Mass Measurements

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Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) mass measurement methodologies were improved considerably with the application of Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1065 for the 2007 standards for heavy-duty engines that emphasized PM. However, there is still a need to improve the understanding of and the confidence in mass measurements for light-duty vehicles, which are now being subjected to more stringent PM standards. The purpose of this study is to evaluate commercially available partial flow dilutors (PFDs), with a particular focus on their equivalency with the standard constant volume sampler (CVS) tunnel method and the ability to provide reproducible measurements at low PM emission levels. For the main PFD comparison, simultaneous testing was conducted with the three PFDs, over federal test procedure (FTP) and US06 tests. The results of the calibrations and proportionality tests all showed good performance for the PFDs. The exhaust flow meters (EFMs) for the PFDs showed measurements within 2% or less of a calibration source. The PFDs also showed good level proportionality and can easily meet the CFR 1066 requirements for light-duty vehicles and 1065 requirements for all tests performed. Larger differences were seen for the main comparisons between the CVS and the different PFDs during the FTP testing, with the relative difference of PM emissions between the PFDs and the CVS varying from − 16.5 to − 0.6%, with an average pooled difference of − 8.5%. These FTP differences only represented 0.00 to 0.11 mg/mile on an absolute basis, however, and could be attributed to difficulties making and weighing filter mass measurements at such low levels. For the US06 cycle, the differences between the PFDs and the CVS were not statistically significant and ranged from − 6.7 to − 0.7% and up to 0.07 mg/mile.

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Abbreviations

σ:

Standard deviation

Bag:

Phase of the FTP bag measurement system

CE-CERT:

College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (University of California, Riverside)

CFR:

Code of Federal Regulations

CO:

Carbon monoxide

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

CVS:

Constant volume sampling

DF:

Dilution factor

EC:

Elemental carbon as defined by NIOSH methods

EFM:

Exhaust flow meter

EPA:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

E10:

Ten percent ethanol in gasoline blend by weight

FFV:

Filter face velocity

FTP:

Federal test procedure

GDI:

Gasoline direct injection

ID:

Inner diameter

ISO:

International Organization for Standardization

LDVS:

Light-duty vehicles

LEV:

Low-emission vehicle

MFC:

Mass flow controller

NIOSH:

National Institutes of Safety and Health method

NIST:

National Institute for Standards and Technology

OC:

Organic carbon

OD:

Outer diameter

PFD:

Partial flow dilution system

PM:

Particulate matter

PTFE:

Polytetrafluoroethylene

SEE:

Standard error estimate

US06:

US06 test cycle

References

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Mr. Mark Villela, Mr. Daniel Gomez, Mr. Kurt Bumiller, and Mr. Edward O’Neil of the University of California, Riverside, for their contributions in conducting the emissions testing for this program. The authors acknowledge Ms. Lauren Ackock and Ms. Grace Johnson for their contributions in filter weighing.

Funding

The authors acknowledge funding from the Coordinating Research Council under the E-99-2 project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Liem Pham & Heejung S. Jung

  2. College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA

    Liem Pham, Jiacheng Yang, Kent Johnson, Thomas Durbin, Georgios Karavalakis, Wayne Miller & Heejung S. Jung

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    David Kittelson

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  1. Liem Pham
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  2. Jiacheng Yang
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  3. Kent Johnson
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  5. Georgios Karavalakis
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Correspondence to Kent Johnson.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Pham, L., Yang, J., Johnson, K. et al. Evaluation of Partial Flow Dilution Systems for Very Low PM Mass Measurements. Emiss. Control Sci. Technol. 4, 247–259 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40825-018-0099-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40825-018-0099-1

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